ATTU By Maurice Reeves

        THE 13TH ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION

THERE WERE MANY UNSUNG HEROES AMONG THE 13TH COMBAT ENGINEERS AND IT IS FITTING THAT THEIR DEEDS BE MADE KNOWN ON THESE PAGES AND THAT  THEY RECIEVE OUR BELATED THANKS!

                                                           ATTU ....

                 Thanks! To MAURICE REEVES, The Following Excerpts

                 Are From His Articles Published In The 13TH Engineer

                 And 7TH ID. Association Newsletters.

                    Once the battle of Midway had been decided in June 1942 Japanese plans turned

                     to Alaska. The Japanese needing a base in the Aleutians for a possible invasion of

                     the U.S., occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska during that month. In May 1943,

                     the Allies plan was to recover Attu, the furthest island in the Aleutian chain,

                     isolating the Japanese troops on Kiska, the next American target.

                     There was little that seemed to go as planned for the Attu campaign. The landing

                     of the assault troops came off days late because of bad weather and high seas.

                     The troops were ill - equipped to do the job. The winter clothing/gear was not

                     adequate for the cold wet Aleutians.

                     The following report concerning the task of the Engineers is by

                     CLARENCE ZARN Platoon Leader B Company 13th Engineer

                     Battalion. ZARN later was Company Commander of C

                     Company during the Leyte and Okinawa campaigns. BASIL

                     AHERN, Platoon Sgt. also contributed some informtion.

                     We landed in the first wave with the Northern Landing Force on Red Beach,

                     North Arm of Holz Bay to clear any mines, if found and facilitate a supply road

                     as the troops moved inland. Our landing initially was undetected. The beach was

                     secured and supplies and equipment were unloaded by the navy. Two major

                     obstacles developed, one was the Aleutian tundra, which was a problem for all

                     units as the campaign developed. The other problem called for an immediate

                     answer. There was a high bluff rising 150 feet above the landing beach some

                     300-400 yards from the shoreline. The bluff dropped downward vertically about

                     10 feet and then sloped toward the shoreline on an angle of one vertical to one

                     and a half horizontal. The Engineers mission: Get the Infantry, weapons,

                     ammunition and supplies to the top of that bluff and be prepared to assist the

                     medics in returning casualties to the beach area and then on to the Navy hospital

                     ship.

                     The Engineers first cut a makeshift stairway along the face of the bluff, with

                     everything going up or down that stairway trail. This lasted one day. The platoon

                     fostered a plan to get their mission underway with the help of the navy. Someone

                     remembered seeing a large coil of 7/8' cable aboard one of the ships. This was

                     secured from the navy together with a large diameter sheave (like a pulley). The

                     intent was to construct a "deadman" on top of the bluff. The Engineers scouted

                     the beach for flotsam and by a miracle (we believe) a tree trunk about 15 feet

                     long and 2 feet in diameter at the small end was found. Some say it was the only

                     tree on Attu! The plan was to bury the "deadman" (tree trunk) about eight feet

                     deep, fasten the large sheave above ground to the tree trunk, then thread the

                     1,000 foot cable thru the sheave on the bluff surface so that the cable was divided

                     equally and extended down the bluff to a improvised "elevator".

                     To put the "elevator" into service a bulldozer was fastened to one end of the

                     cable and an improvised sled to be loaded with ammunition, artillery weapons,

                     food, etc. was attached to the other end of the cable. As the dozer moved

                     shoreward away from the bluff, the sled was pulled to the top. These supplies

                     and weapons would then be unloaded and moved forward to the troops by hand

                     carry or weasel units pulling sled pallets. By alternate action the sleds were pulled

                     up and down the slope , bringing casualties on the way down. The simple idea

                     expedited the action on Attu and bought time until a road could be constructed up

                     the side of the bluff.

                     It was not until May 27, 1943 that the Hourglass units appeared to have control

                     of the island. But the Japanese Commander Col. Yamasaki was not through. Two

                     days later the ennemy, in a desperate, final charge launched a full scaled attack

                     towards Clevesy Pass in an attempt to drive to Massacre Valley. It would have no

                     chance for success except for an order received by B Co. 32nd Infantry Regt.

                     ordering them to report to the regimental kitchen. No one knows how this order

                     came to be sent to B Company nor is there any record.

                     They were finally STOPPED at ENGINEER HILL as MAJOR GEORGE

                     COOKSON EX. OFFICER 13TH ENGINEER BN. Took Comand of an

                     assortment of Medics, Artillery Men and Engineers. (With LT. ROBERT

                     McARTHUR'S A Company 13TH ENGINEERS Who had prepared an

                     emergency plan for his Company.) As the ennemy advanced the troops fell back

                     slowly taking advantage of the high ground. This defensive action gradually

                     forced the attackers back toward Clevesy Pass where they were mopped up. By

                     May 30 organized resistance had collapsed. The men of the 13TH ENGINEERs

                     are PROUD of their accomplishments in WWI,WWII, KOREA and PANAMA.

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